Van Manen, Forsythe, Arqués

Three generations, three premieres

Special premieres by three generations of choreographers close out the season.

The Dutch premiere by Young Creative Associate Juanjo Arques of Ignite, the Dutch premiere of the ballet Pas / Parts 2018 by William Forsythe, with which Dutch National Ballet dances work by this internationally celebrated choreographer again after a long time, and a premiere for the company itself of grand master Hans van Manen’s Kleines Requiem.

A Holland Festival production

Ignite-Het Nationale Ballet - rehearsal
Photo: Altin Kaftira

Ignite-Het Nationale Ballet - rehearsal
Photo: Altin Kaftira

Ignite-Het Nationale Ballet - rehearsal
Photo: Altin Kaftira

Kleines Requiem - Het Nationale Ballet - rehearsal

Kleines Requiem - Het Nationale Ballet - rehearsal

Kleines Requiem - Het Nationale Ballet - rehearsal

Pas/Parts - Het Nationale Ballet - rehearsal

Forsythe

Pas/Parts (1999) was one of the last large-scale ballets that Forsythe made in Paris. In 2018 he adapted it for Boston Ballet. Characteristic for Pas/Parts 2018 are the pairing of white lighting with a white backdrop and Thom Willems’ electronic score evocative of Renaissance music. The choreography interweaves trios, duets and solos.

Van Manen

In 1996, Dutch master choreographer Hans van Manen created his Kleines Requiem on the darkly mysterious third and fourth parts of Górecki's Kleines Requiem für eine Polka. It opens with dancers criss-crossing the stage, flitting from one end to the other, and progresses to a series of duets that flow together. The tone of the work is at once sad and comforting, alluding to themes of parting, death and solitude. The set and costume design is by Van Manen's long-time artistic partner Keso Dekker.

Arqués

Juanjo Arqués was appointed young creative associate at Dutch National Ballet in 2017. Heralded as the most promising choreographer of 2017 by German Tanz Magazine, his recent creation Homo Ludens featured in the Made in Amsterdam programme (February 2017), and Ekklesia (2018) in the Junior Company’s In the Future programme. His latest work, Ignite, was created for Dutch National Ballet in coproduction with the Birmingham Royal Ballet and takes its inspiration from William Turner’s famous painting of The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons. With its passages of luminous colour and varying atmospheric effects, Turner’s painting borders on abstraction. In a similar vein, Arqués’ new work appeals to the senses to tell a story, using music as his choreographic canvas and movement as his chromatic palette. The young British Kate Whitley, who received the Critics' Circle Music Award last December as Emerging Talent, composed new music for the ballet. Music as a canvas for choreography, with movements like brushes in different colours.

Ignite

Dutch Ballet Orchestra conducted byMatthew Rowe
Since its inception in 1965, the orchestra has been proud to accompany its partners, Dutch National Ballet and Nederlands Dans Theater. The working method is unique in the Netherlands. Dutch Ballet Orchestra, with Matthew Rowe as principal conductor, consists of a regular core of 45 musicians, supported where necessary by highly qualified guest performers. This gives the orchestra its unique character: flexible, dynamic and high-quality.
Dutch Ballet Orchestra combines music and dance into a magical experience: from classical ballet to modern dance, and from music education to talent development. The orchestra’s mission is to create an optimal synthesis between music and dance, in order to reach dance-lovers and ballet music enthusiasts, as well as children and youngsters.
The orchestra has received several international awards for its educational projects, including the Young Audiences Music Award in 2016 for Creatures, a collaborative project with dance company ISH.

Thu 15 Feb LA Times on Forsythes Pas/Parts

‘The dancers played the rhythm with their bodies, creating the illusion that we were not only watching them but also listening to them’